Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Empires of the Deep is a colossal 3D action-adventure fantasy motion picture. It is said to be the biggest US-China co-production in the history with its production budget reaching $100 million and is currently in production in Beijing under the working title Mermaid Island USA.[1][2] Tentative release date will be on 2011.

Plot

The story revolves around an unlikely love story between a young man and a beautiful mermaid. Set on a mythical realm, it tells of the fascination of the mysterious and enchanting mermaid world. A world that captures imagination and adventure.

Cast

The cast includes actors Shi Yanfei, Steve Polites, and Olga Kurylenko.[4] Directed by Michael French. Screenplay by Randall Frakes and story by Jiang Hongyu.

A series of pictures of the movie Empires of the Deep has been released online, they're mostly behind the scenes photos of the elaborate sets, makeup and costuming:

Empires of the Deep is an upcoming 3D fantasy adventure movie directed by Michael French. The film is starring Olga Kurylenko, Steve Polites, and Yanfei Shi. It is said to be the biggest US-China co-production in the history with its production budget reaching $100 million and is currently filming in Beijing. Empires of the Deep will be the first movie in a planned movie franchise including comic books, animation and online games: all of which are currently under development. Other derivative products such as gifts and theme parks are also planned. The Empires of the Deep movie should be released sometime in 2010.

Take a look to those concept arts of the Empires of the Deep movie:

Plot:"The fantasy adventure, set in ancient Greece, tells about a young man's adventure in the undersea mermaid kingdom in order to save his father, while encountering ferocious sea monsters and gets involved in large-scale battles in the seabed between mermaids, monsters and demons. Kurylenko plays the Queen of the Mermaid Empire and stars opposite lead actor Steve Polites and Chinese actress Yanfei Shi."

The movie Empires of the Deep sounds like a very ambitious project. There isn't much buzz about the movie so far, but it could well become a worldwide blockbuster when it gets released next year.

Hope to get more information about the movie Empires of the Deep soon!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Director Guillermo del Toro seems to be really committed to make the Hobbit movie a success.

Two movies are in store. Let's listen to del Toro to see what he is planning for the Hobbit:

He knows that he has inherited a great responsibility with the right to adapt the Hobbit to the cinema:

I really hope that his cooperation with Peter Jackson who directed the Lord of the Rings will work out. It has been a long since the last Lord of the Rings movie and so far, no movie could compare to any opus of the trilogy for it was really great.

May del Toro create a new masterpiece with the Hobbit! Any bet concerning Bilbo? Who will interpret the epic hero?:)

The Hobbit is an upcoming two-part film based on the novel of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. The film is in development and Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy will serve as executive producer and co-writer. Guillermo del Toro worked on the project with Jackson for over two years and would have been director, but left the project in May 2010. Originally, both parts would have served as separate films. The first would have adapted The Hobbit and the second would have bridged the gap between this and The Lord of the Rings. It was del Toro's intention to split and expand the narrative of The Hobbit over two parts of a single film.

Cast

In a June 2009 interview, Guillermo del Toro confirmed that three actors had been cast in the respective roles they played in Jackson's film trilogy:

DevelopmentSee also: Development of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh expressed interest in 1995 in filming The Hobbit, which would be part one of a trilogy (the other two would have been based on The Lord of the Rings).[3] Frustration arose when Jackson's producer, Harvey Weinstein, discovered Saul Zaentz had production rights to The Hobbit, but distribution rights still belonged to United Artists (which had kept those rights, believing that filmmakers would probably adapt The Hobbit rather than The Lord of the Rings, and therefore wanted a profit).[4] The studio was on the market, so Weinstein's attempts to buy those rights were unsuccessful. Weinstein asked Jackson to press on with adapting The Lord of the Rings.[5] New Line Cinema eventually produced The Lord of the Rings, and their rights to film The Hobbit were set to expire in 2010.[6] In September 2006, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, owner of UA, expressed interest in teaming up with New Line and Jackson to make the prequel.[7]

In March 2005, Jackson launched a lawsuit against New Line, claiming he had lost revenue from merchandising, video, and computer games releases associated with The Fellowship of The Ring.[8] He did not seek a specific settlement, but requested an audit to see whether New Line had deprived him of money.[6] Although Jackson wanted it settled before he would make the film,[6] he felt the lawsuit was minor, and that New Line would still let him make The Hobbit.[9] New Line co-founder Robert Shaye was annoyed with the lawsuit and said in January 2007 that Jackson would never again direct a film for New Line, accusing him of being greedy.[10] MGM boss Harry Sloan halted development, as he wanted Jackson to be involved.[11] By August, after a string of flops, Shaye was trying to repair his relationship with the director. He said, "I really respect and admire Peter and would love for him to be creatively involved in some way in The Hobbit."[12] The following month, New Line was fined $125,000 for failing to provide requested accounting documents.[6]Peter Jackson, executive producer of the films.

On December 18, 2007, it was announced that Jackson would be executive producer of The Hobbit and its sequel. New Line and MGM will co-finance the film, and the latter studio (via 20th Century Fox) will distribute the films outside North America – New Line's first ever such deal with another major studio.[13] Each film is budgeted at an estimated US$150 million,[14] which compares to the US$94 million budget for each of the films in Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. After completion of the merger of New Line Cinema with Warner Bros. in February 2008, the films were announced as scheduled for release in Decembers 2011 and 2012.[11] Producer Mark Ordesky will return to supervise the prequels.[15] Jackson explained he chose not to direct because it would have been unsatisfying to compete with his previous films.[16]

That same month, the Tolkien Estate—through the Tolkien Trust—and HarperCollins Publishers filed a suit against New Line for breach of contract and fraud and demanded $220 million in compensation. The suit claimed New Line had only paid the Estate an upfront fee of $62,500, despite the trilogy earning an estimated $6 billion worldwide from box office receipts and merchandise sales. The suit claimed the Estate was entitled to 7.5% of all profits made by any Tolkien films, as established by prior deals. The suit also sought to block the filming of The Hobbit.[17][18]

Guillermo del Toro has said he was a fan of Jackson's trilogy and had discussed directing a film adaptation of Halo with him in 2005. Though that project stalled, they kept in contact.[16] In a 2006 interview Del Toro was quoted saying "I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits, [...] I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff".[19] After he signed on to direct in April 2008,[20] Del Toro posted on TheOneRing.net forums that he had been enchanted by The Hobbit as a child, but found that Tolkien's other books "contain[ed] geography and genealogy too complex for my prepubescent brain". In taking the job of director, Del Toro was now "reading like a madman to catch up with a whole new land, a continent of sorts – a cosmology created by brilliant philologist turned Shaman". He also posted that his appreciation of Tolkien was enhanced by his knowledge of the fantasy genre and the folklore research he had undertaken while making his own fantasy films.[16]

Pre-production began around August 2008, with Del Toro, Jackson, Walsh, and Philippa Boyens writing the scripts.[21] Del Toro collaborated with Jackson, Walsh and Boyens via videoconferencing, and flew every three weeks, back and forth from Los Angeles, California (where some of the designs were done)[20] to New Zealand to visit them.[22] Del Toro spent his mornings writing, and afternoons looking at material related to Tolkien to help him understand the writer's work. He watched World War I documentaries and asked for book recommendations from Jackson, who is a collector of World War I memorabilia. Del Toro felt Tolkien's experiences in that war influenced his stories.[23]

By November 2008, every week Del Toro, Jackson, Walsh and Boyens would realize something new about the story which continually changed the script.[24] The writing hours increased to twelve each day, as they dedicated three weeks to finally deciding the films' structures.[25] During the first few months of 2009, writing would start from 8:30 am and end at 3 pm when Del Toro would meet with Weta (i.e. Weta Workshop and Weta Digital film effects companies). Completion of the story outlines and treatments ended in March 2009, and the studios approved the start of writing the screenplay.[26] Filming was expected to take place throughout 2010 in New Zealand, with Del Toro renovating the Hobbiton sets in Matamata.[16] On his part, Jackson kept the Rivendell scale model and the Bag End set (which he has used as a guest house) from the trilogy.[9] During the middle of the shoot, there was expected to be a break which would have allowed Del Toro to edit The Hobbit while sets would be altered for the second film.[27] The director expected the shoot to last 370 days.[28]

In September 2009, New Line and the Tolkien Estate reached a settlement, with New Line paying the Estate an undisclosed sum. J. R. R. Tolkien's son and literary executor Christopher Tolkien said in a statement: "New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of The Hobbit."[17][18] Jackson revealed in late November 2009 that he anticipated that the script for The Hobbit would be finished by the beginning of 2010, delaying the start of production until the middle of that summer (several months later than previously anticipated).[29] The announcement created doubts about whether the film would make its previously-announced release dates of December 2011 and December 2012.[29] Jackson reiterated that no casting decisions have been made.[29] On January 22, 2010, Alan Horn said the first film would likely not be released until the fourth quarter of 2012.[30]

Due to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's financial troubles, the project had not been officially greenlit as of May 28, 2010, as Del Toro explained at a press conference. "There cannot be any start dates until the MGM situation gets resolved... We have designed all the creatures. We've designed the sets and the wardrobe. We have done animatics and planned very lengthy action sequences. We have scary sequences and funny sequences and we are very, very prepared for when it's finally triggered, but we don't know anything until MGM is solved."[31][32] Two days later, Del Toro announced at TheOneRing.net that "[i]n light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming", he would "take leave from helming", further stating that "the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. [...] I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director".[33][34] Reports have been surfacing around the internet about possible directors for The Hobbit. Apparently the studios want Jackson but names like David Yates, Brett Ratner and David Dobkin have all been thrown around.

What are the ethics of post-apocalyptic survival? I dunno, but I have to say that the trailer for the Divide, starring genre names like Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia and Terminator’s Michael Biehn:

Eight survivors locked in a basement of an annihilated New York City. To say that it looks at least a little bit scary is a bit of an understatement. FirstShowing has more info on the upcoming flick.Source

The Divide is a scenario science fiction thriller film directed by Xavier Gens[1] and written by Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean.[2] It stars Michael Biehn, Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia.

Plot

In the futuristic New York rocked a huge explosion, eight survivors hide in the rubble of one large apartment building, where they are threatened by mysterious men a little later in HAZMAT suits.

The film is based on a script by the screenwriting duo of Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean.[5] Director Xavier Gens cast Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Biehn and Rosanna Arquette in leading roles for the film.[6] The film will be shot in the Millenium Centre and the Manitoba Production Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Russell Crowe died!! No not at all. HE just joined the club “Celebrity death rumors”, whose members are: Harrison Ford, Britney Spears, Jeff Goldblum, George Clooney, Rick Astley and Natalie Portman. They all have been pronounced dead prematurely. They are all alive.

Russell Crowe was rumored to have fallen to his death of a mountain in Kitzbuhel, Austria, where actor is currently starring in a film.

But Russell Crowe’s representative already confirmed that actor has not died. The rumor of actor’s death had been started by New York radio station, Z100. On Thursday morning it reported that an Oscar-winning actor had passed away.

“Robin Hood” star Russell Crowe appears to be the latest victim. However, we can now reassure his fans that they are definitely rumors, and the actor is not dead at all.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Looks like a combination of the planet Pandora from Avatar and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park! Impatient to see more pictures of Terra Nova and can't wait for the first trailer!:)

The official synopsis of the upcoming Terra Nova TV series has been revealed:

In the year 2149 the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped, overcrowded and over-polluted. With the majority of plant and animal life extinct, devotion to science has brought mankind to the brink of destruction, but has also provided its only hope for salvation. Knowing there is no way to reverse the damage to the planet, a coalition of scientists has managed to open up a fracture in the space-time continuum, creating a portal to prehistoric Earth. This doorway leads to an amazing world, one that allows for a last-ditch effort to save the human race … possibly changing the future by correcting the mistakes of the past.

The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the tenth pilgrimage of settlers to TERRA NOVA, the first colony of humans in this second chance for civilization. JIM SHANNON, a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family through this new land of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. Jim's wife, ELISABETH SHANNON, is a trauma surgeon chosen through a global lottery as a new addition to Terra Nova’s medical team. JOSH SHANNON is their son, mourning the girl he left behind, as he’s torn between two role models - his father and the charismatic COMMANDER FRANK TAYLOR, the leader of the settlement, and the heroic first pioneer through the time portal. MADDY SHANNON, Jim and Elizabeth’s teen daughter, is as independent and adventurous as her parents, but her distrust of authority soon leads her on a dangerous path.

In addition to blue skies, rolling rivers and lush vegetation, TERRA NOVA offers new opportunities and fresh beginnings to its recent arrivals, but the Shannons have brought with them a familial secret that may threaten their citizenship in this utopia. Additionally these adventurers soon discover that this healthy, vibrant world is not as idyllic as it initially appears. The areas surrounding Terra Nova are filled with dangerous dinosaurs, and other prehistoric threats, as well as external forces that may be intent on destroying this new world before it begins.

But perhaps even more threatening than what lies outside the protective walls is the Shannons' realization that something sinister may be happening inside TERRA NOVA as not everyone on this mission has the same intentions of how best to save mankind.

This synopsis of Terra Nova sound promising: we have a great sci-fi family TV series ahead of us!:)

There's a movie sequel to Taken in the works. Yep, you can get ready for the movie Taken 2. Producer Luc Besson has indeed announced that his production company EuropaCorp has initiated development on the movie Taken 2. Besides Actor Liam Neeson has already expressed his interest in starring in the sequel, but he's cautious saying that they need to find a believable plot first:

"There might [be a sequel to Taken]. It's just hard to get a plot that's gonna be believable. But I meet with Luc besson later this month."Actor Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson's dedication to his role in the first Taken movie is why it became a hit. So let's hope that Writer/Producer Luc Besson has a compelling idea to definitely convince Liam Neeson to reprise his role in the movie Taken 2!

Are you glad to hear about this sequel to Taken? And do you have any suggestion for the script of Taken 2?:)Source

Taken is a 2008 French/American action thriller film starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace. This film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language. On TV this film is rated TV-14. It is based on a script by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and was directed by Pierre Morel. Neeson plays a former Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary operative who sets about tracking down his teenage daughter after she is kidnapped by slave traders while travelling in France.

Plot

Decorated and highly-skilled CIA Special Activities Division officer Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has recently retired. Although his frequent absences led to his divorce, he remained a loving, albeit distant father to his teen-aged daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Hoping to bond with Kim, an aspiring singer, Bryan buys an expensive karaoke machine for her 17th birthday. But his gift is upstaged by Kim's wealthy stepfather, Stuart (Xander Berkeley), who gives her a horse at her party.

Later, Bryan's former CIA colleague, Sam (Leland Orser), hires Bryan for a one-night job with him: bodyguards for a famous singer, Sheerah (Holly Valance). After fending off an armed attacker, Bryan earns Sheerah's gratitude and a promise to help with Kim's musical aspirations. Kim invites Bryan to lunch the next day, but before he can share his good news, he discovers his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), is also there; the lunch is actually a set-up to persuade Bryan to sign a parental consent form allowing Kim to travel to Paris with her 19-year-old friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy), who is visiting relatives there. Lenore is irritated when Bryan refuses to sign, and Kim, upset, tearfully rushes out. Wanting to win back his daughter's favor, Bryan reluctantly agrees to give his consent, but he is angered when he discovers later the girls are actually following a U2 concert tour throughout Europe. Affronted by Lenore's denial of the dangers, he is guilted by Lenore into letting Kim go.

In Paris, Kim and Amanda meet an attractive stranger named Peter (Nicolas Giraud), who suggests sharing a taxi, and also invites them to a party. But events soon turn sinister when, after Kim and Amanda are dropped off, Peter calls someone on his cell phone, giving them the apartment's address and information about the girls. Kim, meanwhile, learns that Amanda lied—they are actually staying at the apartment alone—a fact Amanda revealed to Peter.

While talking to Bryan on her cell phone, Kim witnesses Amanda being abducted in another room. Bryan warns that she will be taken as well, and instructs her to shout out information about the kidnappers as he tapes the call. Sam analyzes the recording and determines the kidnappers are the Albanian Mafia operating in Paris, who largely deal in sex slaves (Human trafficking). On average, these kidnapped girls have 96 hours (four days) before never being found.

At the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Bryan locates Peter as he lures another victim into a taxi. Attempting to escape, Peter is hit and killed by a truck. Bryan contacts an old friend, Jean-Claude (Olivier Rabourdin), who works for French Intelligence. Though doubtful Kim can be found, he provides information on where Albanian pimps and their prostitutes operate. Navigating his way through Paris' seedy underbelly, Bryan eventually locates a house where Kim might be. He bluffs his way in, and, identifying a gang member's voice from the phone recording, kills nearly everyone there. Amanda is found dead from an apparent overdose, but Kim is already gone.

Mindful of the 96-hour deadline, Bryan tortures the surviving gang member, Marko, by hooking him up to wires and electrocuting him into revealing that Kim was sold to Patrice Saint-Clair (Gérard Watkins) Bryan then leaves Marko to die. Bryan returns to Jean-Claude's apartment and, deducing his connection with the human traffickers, confronts him about his illegal Albanian dealings, threatens to kill Jean Claude and shoots his wife in the arm to obtain Saint-Clair's address.

At Saint-Clair's, Kim is being auctioned in a darkened room. Before Bryan can rescue her, he is overpowered and Saint-Clair orders him killed. Bryan escapes, killing Saint-Clair's henchmen, then forces Saint-Clair to reveal Kim's whereabouts before dispatching him. Bryan boards the yacht belonging to the Arab sheikh who bought Kim, killing his guards. The sheikh holds a knife to Kim's neck and tries negotiating with Bryan, but Bryan shoots him dead. Bryan and Kim return to the United States, and, shortly thereafter, Bryan surprises Kim with a visit to Sheerah's house to help Kim launch a singing career.

Sony Pictures wants to produce a movie sequel to SWAT, the crime action thriller movie released in 2003 that was directed by Clark Johnson and starring Colin Farrell, Samuel L Jackson, Jeremy Renner.

Director Benny Boom (who once brought us Next Day Air) has been hired to helm the movie SWAT 2 based on a script written by Reed Steiner (Nash Bridges, The Shield, NCIS). The film will be titled "S.W.A.T.: Fire-Fight". No cast has been announced yet, but it seems unlikely that the original cast is going to reprise their roles..

Plot:"Transferred to Detroit to put a local SWAT team through a training regimen, LAPD Lieutenant Paul Cutler finds himself the target of a homicidal genius who is protected by government officials."

I heard that production of SWAT 2 will start in April 2010. So the release will most likely take place in 2011. Not sure it will be a theatrical release though, maybe a direct-to-DVD release since the film wouldn't have the same appeal without the original cast...:)

S.W.A.T. is an 2003 action film and is based on the 1975 television series of the same name. It was directed by Clark Johnson and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez. It was released in the United States on August 8, 2003.

Plot

The film begins with a hostage situation in Los Angeles; this was loosely based on the 1997 North Hollywood shootout. Officer Jim Street (Farrell), a former Navy SEAL and hot-shot cop from the Los Angeles Police Department and his SWAT team are sent to stop a gang of robbers who have taken over a bank. His high-tempered partner and close friend Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) disobeys an order, and wounds a hostage. Gamble and Street are demoted by Captain Fuller (Larry Poindexter), the commander of LAPD's Metropolitan Division, who is portrayed as a fussy martinet. Gamble quits following arguments with Fuller and Street, the latter of whom is taken off the SWAT team and sent to work in the "gun cage," where he looks after gear and weapons.

Meanwhile, a drug lord by the name of Alexander Montel (Olivier Martinez) has killed his father and uncle for control of the family's crime empire. Uniformed L.A.P.D. personnel stop Montel for a broken taillight, detain him, and learn through Interpol he is an international fugitive. As they are transferring him, his associates, dressed as LAPD officers, assault the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bus Montel is on, in an attempt to free him. Hondo's SWAT team foils the assault. As Montel is being brought into the police station in front of a group of reporters, he yells to the TV cameras, "I will give 100 million dollars to whoever gets me out of here!"

The L.A.P.D. makes plans to transfer Montel into federal custody. They plan to fly him away, but a mysterious attacker (later revealed to be Gamble) shoots down the helicopter. The police next send out a large convoy, which gang members attack. It proves to be a decoy, and Hondo's team has spirited Montel away in two S.U.V.s. However, T.J. has been plotting with Gamble, and the two succeed in taking Montel from the other officers. Hondo and the rest give chase, and there is a final fierce battle, Gamble's group against the SWAT officers. Hondo's team is victorious. T.J. kills himself rather than be captured, and there is a vicious hand to hand fight between Street and Gamble, with Street emerging the eventual victor when he kicks Gamble under the wheels of a passing train. The SWAT team deliver

, a report of holdup in progress comes over the police radio, and despite the team being two officers down and off shift for the past twelve hours, Hondo, Street, Kaye, and Sanchez decide to help anyway. The film's last line is Hondo shouting, "Mount up!".

Cast

* Colin Farrell, as Police Officer Third Grade Jim Street, the main protagonist of the film, is originally assigned to SWAT, but after an incident with his partner he is removed from the team and placed in the "gun cage." After Hondo sees how well he can shoot and being able to identify his modifications in moments, he is recruited for Hondo's new SWAT team. He created the battering ram/grappling hook used during the SWAT team's first mission (which he's dubbed "The Key To The City"). He is a former Navy SEAL and uses an M4A1 and a Kimber Custom TLE II pistol on SWAT missions. * Samuel L. Jackson, as Sergeant Second Grade Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, at the beginning of the film, is an inactive member of SWAT. He is brought back by the Chief of Police to head a new SWAT Element. He is a retired Recon Marine. He uses both an M4A1 and MP5A2. He personally upgraded the trigger of the M4A1 that he uses. His call sign is 70 David. His new team, fully recruited and assembled by himself, consists of the personnel mentioned following. * Michelle Rodriguez, as Police Officer Third Grade Chris Sánchez, was a frequent applicant to SWAT, who has applied 3 times but rejected each time due to the captain's sexism. Hondo persuades him to allow her to be on his team. She carries an MP5 on SWAT calls. Her callsign is 73-David. She has a daughter named Eliza. * James Todd "LL Cool J" Smith, as Police Officer Third Grade Deacon "Deke" Kaye, is a Patrol officer and father of two children whom Hondo also recruits. In the SWAT team, he is armed with a Benelli M3 Super 90 shotgun and later Hondo's MP5, and serves as the rear-guard of the team. * Olivier Martinez, as Alexander "Alex" Montel, is the main antagonist of the film. He is a French criminal and his family controls a huge drug empire which values into the billions. * Josh Charles, as Police Officer Third Grade T.J. McCabe, is a member of SWAT who initially has problems with Street, but as they are continually forced to work together, they become more of a team. Near the end, however, McCabe betrays SWAT and teams up with Gamble. After Gamble's plan falls apart, T.J. commits suicide to escape going to prison. * Jeremy Renner, as former Police Officer Third Grade Brian Gamble, Street's former partner, has quit the L.A.P.D. after being demoted due to, while violating a direct order not to engage an enemy, his shooting of a hostage. Gamble later takes advantage of Montel's offer of reward to anyone who can free him by forming a group of other ex-SWAT members to free him and then escape to Mexico. Gamble feels that his ex-partner betrayed him in the captain's office, which makes the extraction of Montel personal. * Brian Van Holt, as Police Officer Third Grade Michael Boxer, He is a SWAT officer who also has worked with Hondo before. His sister was involved with Street and broke up with him after he was transferred to the gun cage. He is armed with a M4A1. When Gamble and his group make their move to liberate Alex Montel, he is nearly killed by Gamble who shoots him in the neck. * Ken Davitian, as Martìn Gascoigne, is a L.A.-based French drug trafficker who is Montel's uncle. Gascoigne operates from the Figaro Cafè, in Downtown LA. Montel kills him to gather more power within the crime family. * Reg E. Cathey, as Lieutenant Second Grade Greg Velasquez, is field commander of D Platoon (SWAT) and one of Hondo's old friends. His call sign is 10-David. * Larry Poindexter, as Captain Thomas Fuller, is Commander of Metropolitan Division (Home of the LAPD SWAT) D Platoon; most SWAT officers hate him. His call sign is R-commander. * Denis Arndt, as Sergeant Howard, heads another SWAT element. * Daniel Ichikawa, as Sergeant Yamoto, heads SWAT's sniper element. He uses a Remington Model 700 PSS as his weapon.

Cameos

* Bridget Powers as herself * Larry McCormick as himself * Don "Magic" Juan as himself * Steve Forrest, who originated the role of Lt. Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson in the TV series, as SWAT Truck Driver * Rod Perry, Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay from TV series, as Deacon Kaye's uncle

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Director J.J. Abrams definitely knows to create buzz around his films: the movie Super 8 is set to obsess movie fans for a while!

:)

A description of the upcoming trailer of Super 8, the new mysterious project of JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg, has leaked online early:

SUPER 8 TRAILER

- Green MPAA screen followed by the Paramount Pictures logo. No Bad Robot at the header.

- a train loaded with lots of cargo rushes by the screen

- Text:

"In 1979,

The U.S. Air Force Closed A Section of AREA 51."

- railroad crossing light blinking and ringing as the camera pans up we see some sort of light moving in the background.

- Text:

"All The Materials Were To Be Transported

To A Secure Facility In Ohio."

- the light is no UFO but actually the headlights of a yellow 1970’s truck, which skids in a 180 degree motion, and suddenly pulls onto the tracks.

- point of view of the truck heading into the light.

- Black screen and white text:

"From Producer Steve Spielberg"

- the truck explodes as it hits the train.

- the cargo is heading towards the car explosion - BAM. It is wrecked, thrown from the tracks like a wild snake. The flaming metal body flipping towards the camera. Cars flying through the air. It is INTENSE.

-Another black screen and text:

"And Director JJ Abrams"

- Scrap metal around, at least one car remains intact.

- Black screen, white text:

“Next Summer”

- Some sparks.

- Black screen, white text:

"It Arrives"

- We pull up on one of the train cars with a US Airforce logo. The wheel on the door begins to spin out of control as we pull in closer. The wall of the door begins to bend like some huge force is punching it from the inside.

While it is probably true that more people attempt making low budget feature films in dv instead of film because videotape is less expensive than film, it is also probably true that the percentage of overall success may be significantly higher if you shoot on film. In the world of low budget guerilla filmmaking, creating a low budget feature film by shooting with Super-8 film might give you a higher chance of selling your finished project than if you shoot on mini-dv, as long as you follow certain basic rules as outlined below.

In the world of DV, many attempts are made to make digital video look like film and sometimes it is just hit or miss whether the final "film look" will be accepted. The biggest advantage shooting Super-8 film has over dv video is that since Super-8 is film, it already looks like film. Super-8 filmmaking and DV productions both offer rapid mobility when one is moving from location to location. Super-8 filmmaking also offers ease of loading film and minimal camera power requirements. But most importantly, film looks like film even when transferred to video, and that gives Super-8 guerilla filmmaking an interesting advantage. The remaining nine pages of this website detail various ways one can get the most out of their super-8 filmmaking endeavor.

Director Duncan Jones (who brought the mesmerizing movie Moon) is back with a new sci-fi thriller movie titled Source Code. The story revolves around a soldier who wakes up in the body of a commuter who witnesses a train explosion. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal got the lead role as the soldier. Besides Jake Gyllenhaal, the cast also includes Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan, and Jeffrey Wright. The movie Source Code should be released sometime in 2011.

Here's a a picture from the set of Source Code, you may recognize Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan:

Plot:

"The movie Source Code centers on a soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) who, as part of an experimental government program to investigate a terrorist incident, finds himself in the body of an unknown commuter living and reliving a harrowing train bombing until he can find out who is responsible for it.

Vera Farmiga will play a hands-on communications officer controlling Jake Gyllenhaal as he travels through time and space. Michelle Monaghan is a woman on the train with whom the man is involved romantically."

The movie Source Code sounds just like a twisted version of Deja Vu (starring Denzel Washington). Well, I guess it will be worth watching since Duncan Jones is helming the project. Besides David Gyllenhall is a damned talented actor (started to follow his movies since Donnie Darko, and still haven't been disappointed even once!). So I can but wait with impatience for the movie Source Code, and I definitely expect the film to deliver a great surprise.

Filming began on March 1st, 2010 in Montreal, Canada and ended on April 29th, 2010[1]. Editing is taking place in Los Angeles. During April, several scenes were shot in Chicago, Illinois, specifically at Millennium Park.

Fans of sci-fi have been looking forward to Duncan Jones’ follow up to his cerebral thriller “Moon”, and recently he’s been talking up the “Blade Runner”-ish film called “Mute”. As it turns out, that may not be his next film after all. THR reports that Duncan has been attached to direct a new sci-fi movie called “Source Code”, and Jake Gyllenhaal is in negotiations to star. The article doesn’t say that Duncan is in negotiations to direct, they say he’s already “attached”, which makes a big difference.

What little we know of the plot for “Source code” is a bit cryptic, but I suspect that’s the point:

Philippe Rousselet and Mark Gordon will produce, while Summit Entertainment has already lined up to distribute the film. “Source Code” is on the fast track to start production as early as the first quarter of next year.

Gyllenhaal is coming off the big-budget Disney franchise-in-the-making “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” and the much smaller indie movie “Brothers”. Jones, meanwhile, will probably make “Source Code” his follow-up to “Moon”, unless he plans to do “Mute” between now and next year, which seems unlikely.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Sin City (full title: Frank Miller's Sin City)[2] is a 2005 American crime thriller film written, produced, and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. It is a film noir based on Miller's graphic novel series of the same name.

The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: The Hard Goodbye, about a man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time sweetheart's killer; The Big Fat Kill, which focuses on a street war between a group of prostitutes and a group of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard, which follows an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer. The movie stars Bruce Willis, Alexis Bledel, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, Powers Boothe, Josh Hartnett, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Elijah Wood and Rutger Hauer, among others.

Sin City opened to wide critical and commercial success, gathering particular recognition for the film's unique coloring procession, which rendered most of the film in black and white but retained or added coloring for select objects. The film was screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in-competition and won the Technical Grand Prize for the film's "visual shaping".

Plot[edit] The Customer Is Always Right

The Salesman (Josh Hartnett) walks onto a penthouse balcony where The Customer (Marley Shelton) looks out over Basin City. He says that she looks like someone who is tired of running and that he will save her. The two share a kiss and he shoots her; she dies in his arms. He says he’ll never know what she was running from but that he’ll cash her check in the morning.

Hartigan heads into the warehouse where Junior is holding Nancy, fighting off the pain caused by his bad heart, as well as several henchmen. Junior shoots Hartigan in the shoulder and tries to escape. Hartigan catches up and shoots off Junior's ear, hand and genitals. Bob, now recovered, shoots Hartigan in the back; he has been paid off by Roark. As the sirens approach, Bob leaves and Nancy lies down in Hartigan's lap. Hartigan passes out, reasoning his death is a fair trade for the girl's life.

The Hard Goodbye

After a one-night stand Marv (Mickey Rourke) awakens to find Goldie (Jaime King) has been killed while he slept. He flees the frame-up, vowing to avenge her death. His parole officer, Lucille (Carla Gugino) warns him to give up on this mission. Marv interrogates several informants, working up to a corrupt priest (Frank Miller), who reveals that the Roark family was behind the murder. Marv kills the priest, but is attacked by a woman who looks like Goldie.

Marv goes to the Roark family farm and is subdued by the silent stalker who killed Goldie. He awakens in the basement to find Lucille has been captured after looking into his story. She tells Marv that the killer is a cannibal and that Goldie was a hooker. He learns that the killer's name is Kevin (Elijah Wood) and escapes. Lucille is gunned down by an arriving squad of cops. Marv finds out that Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark (Rutger Hauer) arranged for Goldie's murder.

Marv goes to Old Town, Sin City's red light district, to learn more about Goldie and is captured by her twin sister, Wendy. He eventually convinces her that he is not the killer. She and Marv return to the farm where Marv kills Kevin. He confronts Cardinal Roark, who confesses his part in the murders. Kevin was the cardinal's ward; the two men ate the prostitutes to consume their souls. Marv kills the cardinal but is shot by his guards.

Marv is taken to a hospital where cops threaten to kill his mother to get him to confess to killing Roark, Kevin, and their victims. He is sentenced to death in the electric chair. Wendy visits him on death row and thanks him for avenging her sister. Marv is executed the next day.

The Big Fat Kill

Shellie (Brittany Murphy) is being harassed by her abusive ex-boyfriend Jackie Boy (Benicio del Toro). Her current boyfriend, Dwight (Clive Owen) warns him to leave Shellie alone. Jackie Boy flees to Old Town with his friends. Dwight follows and sees them harass Becky (Alexis Bledel), a young prostitute. Gail (Rosario Dawson), the prostitutes' leader and Dwight's on-and-off lover, also witnesses the scene. When Jackie Boy threatens Becky, Miho (Devon Aoki), a martial arts expert, kills Jackie Boy and his friends. They realize Jackie Boy is actually Detective Lieutenant "Iron Jack" Rafferty of the Sin City police. If the cops learn how he died, their truce with the prostitutes would end and the mob would be free to wage war on Old Town.

Dwight takes the bodies to a tar pit, where he is attacked by mercenaries. He nearly drowns in the tar before Miho saves him. The mercenaries escape with Jackie Boy's severed head but Dwight and Miho are able to retrieve it and return to Old Town. Meanwhile, the head mercenary, Manute (Michael Clarke Duncan), kidnaps Gail. Becky has turned traitor to the police and the mob is moving to invade. Dwight trades Jackie Boy’s head in exchange for Gail, but activates a grenade he placed inside the head, destroying it before it can be taken to the cops for evidence. The other prostitutes gun down the mercenaries while an injured Becky escapes.

That Yellow Bastard (Part 2)

Hartigan is recovering in a hospital when Senator Roark informs him that Junior is in a coma and the Roark legacy is in serious jeopardy. Hartigan will be framed for Junior's crimes; if he tells anyone the truth, they will die. A grateful Nancy promises to write letters every week while he is in prison. Hartigan goes to jail, though he refuses to confess. He receives a weekly letter from Nancy, as promised. After eight years, the letters stop and he receives a severed finger instead. Hartigan confesses to all charges leading to his parole and searches for an adult Nancy (Jessica Alba), not knowing he is being followed by a deformed, yellow man. He eventually finds her at Kadie's Bar, where she has become an erotic dancer.

He realizes he was set up to lead the yellow man to Nancy and the two escape in Nancy's car. Hiding at a hotel, the deformed man returns, revealing himself as Junior Roark, disfigured by years of surgery to regenerate his body parts. Junior attacks Hartigan and takes Nancy to the Roark farm to finish what he started eight years before. Hartigan follows and fakes a heart attack, giving him a chance to kill the Junior. Knowing that the Senator Roark will never stop hunting them, Hartigan commits suicide to ensure Nancy's safety. Again, he justifies his life for Nancy's as a fair trade.

Epilogue

An injured Becky departs from a hospital, talking on a cell phone with her mother. In the elevator she encounters The Salesman. Narrating the scene, he says that if you turn the right corner in Sin City, you can find anything.

Cast

Notable Roles: (Organized by the story in which they primarily appear)

The Customer Is Always Right

* Josh Hartnett as The Salesman (known in the screenplay as "The Man") * Marley Shelton as The Customer

You Will Be Forever "Web Magazine"

Welcome to the "You Will Be Forever" Web Magazine, a blog full of ENTERTAINING stuff like web2.0 services, Chinese Kungfu Movies, Rock Music, Doctor Who, TorchWood, Sarah Jane, Chuck, Heroes, British TV Shows, PodCasting, Jokes, Catholic Q&A, Pinoy Personalities and other things that make it look more like a Magazine rather than someone's personal blog! -Jomar